Risk: FFA Edition

As any board game fan knows, Australia is the key to the game of Risk™. You’ve got to claim it early - it’s the only continent that can be successfully defended by heavily fortifying one country. The Ancelottery speaks from experience, we’ve wiled away many a Christmas Eve playing the strategic board game. Unfortunately.

Bernie Mandic is currently locked in an epic battle of risk with the FFA. As further details emerged on The World Game re: Kewellgate, The Ancelottery now understands why the FFA baulked at Mandic’s contract requests.

“For the record”, Bernie has clarified the situation for us all. He begins:

“If Harry plays for a team in the A-League he does not get paid for any of his home games.” Hmmm… that’s not strictly true now is it? You do have a way with words Bernie, you little rascal you. What you meant to say was, ‘he does not get paid for any of his home games by the FFA, but he gets 80% of any extra revenue from the team he’s contracted with. Plus the rest.’ Yep, that’s better.

“He only gets paid an equivalent of 70% of gate takings for away games if his presence generates more people than that particular club’s average”. OK, so can you give us an example Bernie?

“For example, if Harry is playing for Sydney against Adelaide at Hindmarsh Stadium and the Reds’ average home crowd last season was, say, 14,000 (it wasn’t) and 18,000 turn up to watch him play (not actually possible at the Hindmarsh), he gets 70% of the income generated by the extra 4000 people.” So 70% of 4000 tickets at $20 a head equals $56,000. Not a bad return for playing an away game.

But Bernie’s example isn’t actually accurate, so here’s our example: if Harry is playing for Melbourne Victory (not Sydney) against Brisbane at SunCorp Stadium and Roar’s average home crowd last season was, say, 9,279 and 52,500 turn up to watch him play (it’s the last game of the season which decides where the toilet seat is heading), he gets 70% of the income generated by 43,221 extra fans.

That’s $605,094 before you ask.

To take it further, if Harry, again playing for Melbourne Victory, sold out every away game he played in (unlikely, but go with us on this one), he’s set to earn $6,313,760 for fourteen games! And that’s without the inclusion of any cash from hot dogs, soggy chips, scarves, bad coffee, etc. which we’re sure that Mr. Mandic will also be angling for.

Phew… that was a lot of maths. And that’s a lot of cash for clubs to 'donate’?

But hang on. Bernie can you 'clarify’…?

“Most importantly the clubs will not miss out on any part of their home gates because the money paid to Kewell will come from the FFA.”

Ah, so the FFA have to stump up this cash. Whilst we’re not totally against Kewell being paid a percentage of any extra revenue he generates for the league, doesn’t 70% seem a tad high? And if there is such a growth in crowd figures, could it purely be attributed to the injury prone striker? We can’t help but feel that he’s double dipping - isn’t 80% of extra home revenue enough Harry? Where does it stop? These people have a few ideas.

Any incentive-based deal is a risk for both Kewell and the FFA, however the odds are stacked in Kewell’s favour. As long as he stays fit (Owen Hargreaves could teach him a thing or two) he’s set to make well over $2million from his home appearances alone. Sure he could make nothing, but is that actually realistic?

Mandic is adamant however that “this episode proves beyond any doubt that Harry is not about money but about giving something back to the game.”

No it doesn’t Bernie, it proves beyond any doubt that it’s all about the money.